Rodent trap



'G 'HANsoN May '21, 1929.

RODENT TRAP Original Filed Dec. 22, 1925 Patented May 2l, 1929.

UNITED STATES.

GUST HANSON, F VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBA, CANADA, ASSGNOR OF ONE- EALF TO CHARLES JOHNSON, OF VANCOUVER, BEITlS-I COLUMBIA, CANADA.

RODENT TRA?.

Application filed December 22, 1925, Serial No. 77,045. Renewed October 22,

My invention relates to improvements in rodent traps the objects ot' which are to provide means whereby the rodent on approaching the bait in the trap is precipitated into a body oit water below the trap, a further ohject is to provide that a certain portion ot the trap iioor shall be traversed before the releasing,` means for the iloor is operated, and that the passage through which the rodent passes is closed behind him temporarily to prevent his return.V

The invent-ion consist essentially ot a plat form supporting a bait box and a pair ot runways which are adapted to tilt in opposite directions to permit the rodent to tall between them, and means for holdingthe first of the two runways in inoperative position until the 'front paws of the rodent are placed upon the second runway, as will be more fully described in the following specitication, in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view ot the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view with part ot the cover removed.

55 is a detail view of the runway tripping, mechanism.

In the drawings like characters of reterence indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

The numeral 1 indicates a platform which is adapted to rest on opposite edges oi' a pail oi water or other suitable container, from which a rodent would be unable to escape, and upon which a passageway 2 is formed havingr side walls 3 and a cover t. The side walls are grooved at 5 'for the purpose oi? receiving an end closure 6 which is pret crably ot glass so that the interior ot the bait box can be plainly viewed. The numeral 7 indicates a plurality of wires extending between the side walls 3 to torni a boi: 8 to Vwhich access is obtained by the withdrawal of the end closure 6 from the grooves 5, and 9 is a turnbutton which is adapted to engage one upperedge oi the end closure to prevent its being' upwardly moved. rlhe numeral 10 indicates a runway which is mounted on a pivot pin 11 and is provided with a. suitable wcight 1Q for the purpose of restoring it to a normal horizontal position after use.

The numeral 13 indicates a second runway which is mounted on a pivot pin 14 and is provided with a weight 15 at its outer end to restore it to normal position. The inner ends 16 and 17 respectively, ot the runways 10 and 13, are adapted to be engaged by a latch 18, see Figure B, which is formed with a pin 19 carried in a hinge plate 20 secured to the plattform 1 and is provided at one end with a dog 21 and at the oppositel end with a trigger The inner end 16 ot the runway 10 is adapted to rest normally upon the step 23 ot' the dogg 21, and on returning to normal position aiter beingv tilted, to engage the sloping edfgc 2e thereof to swing,v the dog out of the perpendicular and to permit the inner end to become latched again in horizontal position. The inner end 1? ot' the second runway 1B adapted to rest in contact with the upper slope 25 ot the trigger 22 and as it descends with the superimposed weight ot the rodent, it slides along` the slope 25 pressing the trigger 22 and the 'dogg' 21 out of perpcridicular, releasing the inner end 16 ot the runway l() therefrom, and permitting,` it to assume an inclined position simultaneously with the second runway 13, so that the rodent is caused to fall between the pair.

It is well known that rodents are very wary ot new devices, therefore l provide turnbuttons 26 adjacent opposite ends ont' the platform 1, by which the runways can be secured in inoperative position, so that the rodents may familiarize themselves with the trap for any desired period of time, and thus lose that suspicion which renders them so ditlicultto catch, then by rmnoving,- the turnbuttons from engagement with the runways, the rodents are readily caught.

lVhat l claim as my invention is:

A. rodent trap including a runway presenting a top wall and side walls made long, enough to project slightly beyond one end oil' the top wall, the projecting' portions of said side walls having their inner opposing surfaces recessed to provide vertical guide channels, a displaceable end wall slidably mounted in said guide channels and a series ot' spaced transversely extending rods cone nectino` said side walls and arranged in a substantially L-shaped formation to extend inwardly in a substantially horizontal plane :trom the displaceable end wall and then upwardly toward the top wall to form a bait chamber to which access is obtained by displacing the end wall vertically.

Dated at Vancouver, B. C., this 11th day of December, 1925. i GUST HANSON. 

